I've been asked to to keep up my blogging by a very good friend of mine. (Apparently I'm not keeping him updated enough ha.) The reason I haven't posted a new blog in a while, is because I was backpacking through a small part of the Patagonia, Parque National Torres del Paine to be exact. It was one of the most intense hikes and backpacking trip I have EVER been on and it was also the most beautiful place I have ever been to.
Let me back up to about... 2 months ago: I was given an awesome internal framed pack for my early Christmas present from my most amazing grandparents. I remember them asking me, "Shae, what on earth are you going to use this for? You'll never use this." I told them that I would use it for my many adventures, but they were still positive that the expensive pack wouldn't be used. I must say, they have been proven soooo wrong! I wouldn't have made it on the trip without my High Sierra pack (with built in rain cover)!! It was the best thing that they could have ever given me, and I definitely broke it in this past week. It went through hell and back! Through intense wind, cold, heat, and a little rain. When my group came through Paine, we had apparently just missed an intense snow storm. Any ways, back to the event of the past week.
All of my flat mates, except one, went backpacking to the Torres del Paine. We all left on different days. The largest group left on Tuesday night, one went backpacking alone and left Wednesday night, and two other girls and I left Thursday night. Packing was pretty interesting, especially when it came to food, since there are no places that sell dehydrated food (it makes your pack soo much lighter) here in Punta Arenas. 3 days worth of food = dried mangos and apples, a few cereal bars, two Nutella sandwiches, a few pieces of bread, 3 bread rolls, a few pieces of salami, 1 pack of cheese, a few small cookies, almonds, raisins & peanuts, 2 things of Cup O' Noodles, a package of ramen noodles, my Nalgene (it's a part of my life & always with me), and my treat for the last day of hiking: a Snickers bar. We had to indulge ourselves for the intense hikes we were about to endure.). Interestingly enough, all of my food fit in the very top of my pack, yay for ziplock bags! I also packed two pairs of leggings, shorts, 2 t-shirts, 3 pairs of socks, gloves, my flip flops, bandana, and wore my hiking pants, under armor, Doite over-shirt, my omin-heat jacket that consists of a shell and a down jacket inside, my beanie, and my gortex boots, thank God for gortex!!! Essentials were my sleeping bag, one can of fuel for cooking, the tent, a mat, and my tin cup, and my life saver: the trekking pole! A picture of the contents of my pack, be jealous:
My group left Punta Arenas on Thursday around 19:00 and arrived Puerto Natales about 4 hours later, where we stayed in Hostal Lili Patagonicos. One the bus ride to Puerto Natales, the bus attendant was hanging all over me and wouldn't leave me alone! He was deaf, so I felt bad for him... he said he like me because I was blonde. Of course, like I said in a previous post, I scream American. We shared a room with 2 other Americans. One was actually from north Georgia! What a small world! We ate at what we called "The Greasy Spoon," because it was our last greasy/good meal for 3 days. I ate Ave Palta, so good!! Ave palta is basically grilled chicken with lots of mushed avocado and some mayo in between two massive pieces of some kind of white bread that they make down here. We also had our last shower and last night in a bed for the next 3 days. Picture of Hostal Lili Patagonicos below!!
The next morning, we woke up at 05:30, ate our last big breakfast and caught the bus at 07:30. Did I mention that it doesn't get dark here till 23:00 and it gets light outside at 4 in the morning? We're getting out of the office at 19:00 and leaving with sunglasses on! Insane! Any ways... We arrived at Parque National Torres del Paine sometime around 10:30 to catch the boat to begin our hike to the Torres del Paine. While we waited for our boat, we went on a short hour and a half hike to a waterfall, it was so pretty! Picture below! I know I'm throwing in a ton of pictures, but the trip was just so pretty, I have to share. And the pictures don't even do justice to what it really looks like. For now I am going to have to leave you with a few pictures of the waterfall and of the other girls that I went backpacking with. It's late here and time for dinner! I'm also still incredibly tired. We didn't get back from the Torres till 23:00 last night and had to be at work from 09:00 till 19:00 today. You'll have to wait a few more days for the rest of the story! Trek on.
(Me and the girls)
(So pretty that it looks fake!)
Let me back up to about... 2 months ago: I was given an awesome internal framed pack for my early Christmas present from my most amazing grandparents. I remember them asking me, "Shae, what on earth are you going to use this for? You'll never use this." I told them that I would use it for my many adventures, but they were still positive that the expensive pack wouldn't be used. I must say, they have been proven soooo wrong! I wouldn't have made it on the trip without my High Sierra pack (with built in rain cover)!! It was the best thing that they could have ever given me, and I definitely broke it in this past week. It went through hell and back! Through intense wind, cold, heat, and a little rain. When my group came through Paine, we had apparently just missed an intense snow storm. Any ways, back to the event of the past week.
All of my flat mates, except one, went backpacking to the Torres del Paine. We all left on different days. The largest group left on Tuesday night, one went backpacking alone and left Wednesday night, and two other girls and I left Thursday night. Packing was pretty interesting, especially when it came to food, since there are no places that sell dehydrated food (it makes your pack soo much lighter) here in Punta Arenas. 3 days worth of food = dried mangos and apples, a few cereal bars, two Nutella sandwiches, a few pieces of bread, 3 bread rolls, a few pieces of salami, 1 pack of cheese, a few small cookies, almonds, raisins & peanuts, 2 things of Cup O' Noodles, a package of ramen noodles, my Nalgene (it's a part of my life & always with me), and my treat for the last day of hiking: a Snickers bar. We had to indulge ourselves for the intense hikes we were about to endure.). Interestingly enough, all of my food fit in the very top of my pack, yay for ziplock bags! I also packed two pairs of leggings, shorts, 2 t-shirts, 3 pairs of socks, gloves, my flip flops, bandana, and wore my hiking pants, under armor, Doite over-shirt, my omin-heat jacket that consists of a shell and a down jacket inside, my beanie, and my gortex boots, thank God for gortex!!! Essentials were my sleeping bag, one can of fuel for cooking, the tent, a mat, and my tin cup, and my life saver: the trekking pole! A picture of the contents of my pack, be jealous:
(My pack weighed over 10 kilos maybe??)
My group left Punta Arenas on Thursday around 19:00 and arrived Puerto Natales about 4 hours later, where we stayed in Hostal Lili Patagonicos. One the bus ride to Puerto Natales, the bus attendant was hanging all over me and wouldn't leave me alone! He was deaf, so I felt bad for him... he said he like me because I was blonde. Of course, like I said in a previous post, I scream American. We shared a room with 2 other Americans. One was actually from north Georgia! What a small world! We ate at what we called "The Greasy Spoon," because it was our last greasy/good meal for 3 days. I ate Ave Palta, so good!! Ave palta is basically grilled chicken with lots of mushed avocado and some mayo in between two massive pieces of some kind of white bread that they make down here. We also had our last shower and last night in a bed for the next 3 days. Picture of Hostal Lili Patagonicos below!!
(Me and the girls)
(So pretty that it looks fake!)
December 15, 2010 at 4:23 AM
What an awesome photo! Backpacking 101 for me lol